Downers Grove North takesElk Grove title on late PKTrojans prevail 2-1 over York, Papa era off to undefeated start

By Ken Keenan

ELK GROVE VILLAGE -- So far, so good for Downers Grove North in the Brian Papa Era.

Playing in their first season under the tutelage of Papa, who's amassed more than 800 wins combined as a boys and girls coach since 1982, the Trojans improved to 3-0-0 with a 2-1 victory over York Tuesday night in the championship match of the Elk Grove Tournament.

Junior defender Chloe Nowka notched the deciding tally, snapping a 1-1 tie with a successful penalty kick in the 77th minute. Nowka earned the PK after being tripped in the box following a 50-yard run down the right side.

"I saw an opening, so I had to keep going and run as fast as I could," Nowka said.

She converted the PK try with a hard shot into the top left corner past the outstretched arms of Dukes sophomore goalkeeper Kathleen Levins.

"I've taken (PKs) in the past," Nowka said. "I had a plan, and it worked out."

Papa's plan looks to be working out as well. The Trojans opened the 2017 campaign March 18 with a 8-0 pasting of Montini in the first round of the Elk Grove tourney, and then reached the final with a 1-0 squeaker over Cary-Grove two days later.

"Coming as the new coach, I had to figure out the program," Papa said. "I told the girls, it's going to be a learning situation from beginning to end. And the girls are buying into it. They're willing to learn. Then, you set goals. You want to win every game you play. You should not want to go out just to play good.

"But -- win or lose -- you just want to see improvement as the season goes along."

Downers Grove North controlled the tempo against York from the get-go, aggressively charging to loose balls and maintaining possession with a combination of smart positioning and sharp passing. That allowed the Trojans to consistently push the attack from the midfield, led by relentless junior middie Abby Swanson, who earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.

Less than two minutes into the match, Swanson settled a cross from senior forward Delaney Forst and ripped a shot just over the crossbar from the left side. In the 10th minute, Swanson concluded a nice run with a 30-yard try that missed wide-right. A minute later, she rushed to the net to deflect a free kick by junior defender Olivia Bull wide-right.

Persistence paid off for Swanson when she opened the scoring with a wide-open shot from 10 yards with 27:22 to go in the first half. Bull notched the assist.

Holding the 1-0 lead, Downers Grove North continued to hold sway over York the rest of the first half. A solid passing sequence in the 22nd minute among junior forward Carissa Mysliwiec, junior mid Carli Nehls, senior forward Emily Redpath and junior defender Francesca Marconi was thwarted on a nice play by York senior defender Jenna Dvorak.

Soon after, Levins made a diving save to rob Mysliwiec on a left-footed try from 15 yards. With 16:40 to go in the opening session, Trojans' senior defender Elizabeth Hodonicky floated a 40-yard shot just over the crossbar.

"We've been working on where to move on the field and awareness of where each other is going to be," Mysliwiec said.

Downers Grove North freshman forward Alexis Parker had a good look in the 30th minute, but missed wide-left. Ditto for junior forward Alyssa Gunderson in the 32nd minute after taking a cross from Nehls, who then missed wide-right with a 15-yard rocket a minute later.

A lengthy halftime delay, due to heavy rain and steady lightning, seemed to work in York's favor once the second half got underway. After finally testing Downers Grove North junior keeper Grace Stevenson on a wide-angle try by senior defender Elizabeth Kowalski with 26:05 remaining, the Dukes knotted the score at 1-1 on a goal by Lundgren in the 59th minute.

Lundgren scored from a wide angle on the left side, beating Stevenson to the far right. Junior midfielder Morgan McCarthy provided the helper.

"In the second half, we tried to push, push, push," Lundgren said. "We figured out how to get on their pass before they could connect."

Added McCarthy: "The long (halftime) break definitely helped us regroup. We weren't as strong as we wanted to be in the first half."

York head coach Don Vana's squad (3-1-0) earned its spot in the tourney final with a 4-0 win over Dundee-Crown on March 18 and a 3-1 triumph against the host Grenadiers on March 20.

"We had more pace and determination in the second half," Vana said. "We're a young team -- not a lot of returning players -- trying to figure out our identity. Downers Grove North, they're a good team -- well-coached, well-disciplined, really fast and technically sound. But our team's not gonna quit."

And neither did Downers Grove North, which kicked back into full attack mode following the tying marker. First, Swanson tipped a 20-yard free kick by Bull wide-left with 9:25 to go, and then she barely missed the left post after firing a bullet from 20 yards with 8:50 left.

Swanson had another solid opportunity in the 73rd minute, missing high with a 15-yard strike.

"I think the (halftime) break compromised our flow, so we had to refocus," Swanson said. "We needed to work on being calm, and we did that a little more later in the second half. After it was 1-1, we wanted to beat them and show we're the better team."

Added Papa: "York came out aggressive in the second half. They worked hard to win 50/50 balls. But if you look at the shots attempted, we had more opportunities. Overall, I thought the pace of the game was good, and we passed the ball well.